(CNN Spanish) - U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs said Tuesday that the government agreed to rescind its policy of denying visas for international students if the schools they attended only offered classes online.
Burroughs, who was joined by lawyers from Harvard, MIT and the government at a hearing conducted through Zoom, said the agreement between the parties would cause a July 6 directive to be rescinded "nationwide."
In early July, it became known that international students seeking degrees in the United States may have to leave the country or risk deportation if their universities switch to teaching online only, according to an announcement by the Immigration and Control Service. Customs (ICE).
The measure could affect thousands of foreign students going to the United States to attend universities or participate in training programs, as well as in non-academic or vocational studies.
Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology sued the Trump government last week over their guidance not to allow foreign students to take courses online alone this fall semester.
Harvard announced early last week that all courses will be taken online, even for students living on campus. In a statement provided to CNN, the university said the orientation will affect approximately 5,000 international students.
With information from Sonia Moghe, Priscilla Alvarez and Catherine E. Shoichet